Key ring devce

ABSTRACT

A system for a novel key ring device for holding an associated consumer product is disclosed. The device includes a hollow casing configured to enclose at least part of a consumer product, a movable latch member, including a key retaining portion which is configured to cooperate with the hollow casing to hold an associated key ring, a biasing member connected to the hollow casing and movable latch member and an interacting mechanism configured to interact with the associated consumer product. Furthermore, the device may include a biasing member that has a first and second length, such as a spring, whereas the biasing member would, in its first position, contribute to the contact of the movable latch member and hollow casing creating an enclosure for an associated ring to be securely held. Furthermore, the biasing member may also have a second length where when the biasing member is in this second length, the key retaining portion of the latch is not in direct contact with the hollow casing, allowing for the key ring to not be enclosed in the key ring device. The system may also include it being configured to hold an associated lighter, an associated flashlight, an associated spray product, an associated writing product, or any other suitable consumer product.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

The present application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 60/826,984 filed Sep. 26, 2006, which is incorporated herein in its entirety.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The following disclosure relates to a device that attaches to a key ring. More specifically, a key ring device that includes a housing, or casing, that holds small consumer products such as a flashlight or cosmetic products, a writing instrument and/or a lighter, etc.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Many people carry key rings to hold keys to their automobiles, houses, office, gym lockers, etc. Because these individuals feel the need to secure their items, it is often desirable to have a key ring which holds all the keys that that individual may commonly use.

There are often times when an individual may want to use consumer products. Although the individual may routinely carry these consumer products, they often may be bulky or it is possible that the individual may forget to bring the consumer product with him when he leaves his home and/or office.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a key chain device and two conventional keys connected to the key chain device.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the key chain device with a key retaining member in the open position.

FIG. 3 is a front elevation view of the key chain device.

FIG. 4 is a side elevation view of the key chain device.

FIG. 5 is a front elevation view of the key chain device with portions cut away.

FIG. 6 is a sectional view taken through line 6-6 of FIG. 3.

FIG. 7 is an exploded view of the key chain device.

FIG. 8 is a front elevation view of the key chain device with an enclosed writing utensil.

FIG. 9 is a side sectional view of the key chain device with the enclosed writing utensil.

FIG. 10 is a front elevation view of the key chain device with an enclosed lighter.

FIG. 11 is a side sectional view of the key chain device with the enclosed lighter.

FIG. 12 is a front sectional view of the key chain device with an enclosed flashlight.

FIG. 13 is a side sectional view of the key chain device with the enclosed flashlight.

FIG. 14 is a front sectional view of the key chain device with an enclosed fluid dispenser.

FIG. 15 is a side sectional view of the key chain device with the enclosed fluid dispenser.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The drawings are for the purposes of illustrating representative embodiments of a device for holding a small consumer product. The drawings are not intended to limit the invention. With reference to FIG. 1, a key ring device 50 capable of housing a relatively small, i.e. pocket-sized, consumer product, such as lotion, mouthwash, cologne, a lighter, a flashlight, a pen, a pencil, etc. is shown. In the depicted embodiment, the key ring device 50 includes a hollow casing 52, a key retaining member 54 and an interacting mechanism 56. The device 50, and more particularly the casing 52, is generally key-shaped having a wider section 58, similar to the bow of a conventional key (see bow in FIG. 1) and a narrower section 62, similar to a blade of a conventional key (see blade in FIG. 1).

The key retaining member 54 is movable with respect to the casing 52. In the depicted embodiment, the key retaining member 54 is movable in a direction generally defined by arrow 64 in FIG. 2. The key retaining member 54 includes a U-shaped key retaining portion 70, a first narrowed casing engaging section 72 that extends from an end of the key retaining portion and a second narrowed casing engaging section 74 that extends from an opposite end of the U-shaped key retaining portion. The first section 72 is square in a cross section taken generally normal to the direction of the arrow 64. The second section 74 is generally circular in a cross section taken in an axis parallel to the direction of arrow 64.

With reference to FIG. 5, an opening 76 is provided in the first narrowed casing engaging section 72 to receive a biasing member 80, which will be described in mare detail below. Comparing FIGS. 3 and 4 to FIG. 5, to remove a key ring from the key ring device 50, the key retaining member 54 is displaced upwardly in the direction of arrow 62 (FIG. 5). This results in a space between an end of the second casing engaging section 74 of the key retaining member 54 and the casing 52 such that the ring can be removed from the device 50. Removal of a force in the direction of arrow 62 results in the biasing member 80, which in the depicted embodiment is a spring, urging the key retaining member 54 towards the casing 52. Where the first section 72 of the key retaining member 54 extends from the key retaining portion 70 a first ledge 82 is defined to limit further movement of the key retaining member 54 toward the casing 52. Similarly, where the second section 74 extends from the U-shaped key retaining portion 70 a second ledge 84 is defined that also limits movement of the key retaining member 54 in a direction opposite the directional arrow 62 in FIG. 5.

The hollow casing 52 is configured to accommodate a number of different consumer products. The hollow casing includes a first section 90 that secure to a second section 92. In the depicted embodiment, once a consumer product is disposed in the hollow casing 52, the first casing 90 is permanently attached to the second casing 92 via an adhesive or other similar securing method. Alternatively, the first section and the second section 92 can attach to one another such that they can be selectively removed from one another without damaging the hollow casing 52, for example using a latch. As most clearly seen in FIGS. 5 and 6, the hollow casing 52 includes a first opening 94 that is configured to receive the first narrowed casing engaging section 72 of the key retaining member 54 and a spring 80. The first opening 94 is square-shaped in cross section (FIG. 6) to receive the first section 72 of the key retaining member 54. If the first section 72 were to take another configuration, for example, circular, the configuration of the first opening 94 of the casing 52 may change to complement the configuration of the first casing engaging section 72. The depth of the first opening 94 is long enough to accommodate the stroke of the key retaining member to provide an opening so that a key ring can be removed from the key retaining member as depicted in FIG. 5. In the depicted embodiment, the depth of the first opening 94 is substantially equal to the depth, i.e. the vertical dimension as depicted in FIG. 5, of the wider section 58 of the hollow casing 52.

The hollow casing 52 also defines a second opening 96 that is configured to receive the second casing engaging section 74 of the key retaining member 54. As more clearly seen in FIG. 2, the second opening 96 is circular in configuration to complement the configuration of the second casing engaging section 74 of the key retaining member 54. The orientation of either can change if desired.

With reference to FIG. 5, the hollow casing 52 defines a first internal housing area 100 generally disposed within the wider section 58 of the hollow casing 52 and a second internal housing area 102 generally disposed in the narrower section 62 of the hollow casing 52. The first internal housing area is typically where the consumer product that is to be housed in the casing 52 is engaged. In other words, it is in the first internal housing area 100 where the activation of the consumer product is taking place. Examples of this will be described in more detail below. The second internal housing area 102 generally houses a portion of the consumer product which will be described in more detail below. An opening 104 is provided at a distal end of the narrower section 62 of the hallow casing 52. The opening 104 leads to the second internal housing area 102 and is the opening through which a consumer product extends and/or is dispensed.

The hollow casing 52 also includes an outer recess 106, which in the depicted embodiment is formed in the first section 90. The outer recess 106 receives the interacting mechanism 56 such that an outer surface 108 of the interacting mechanism 56 is recessed with respect to an outer surface 110 of the first section 90 (see FIG. 6). Such a configuration inhibits accidental actuation of the consumer product that is disposed in a hollow casing 52.

With reference to FIG. 7, the forming of the outer recess 106 in the front section 90 results in an indentation 112 that extends into the first internal housing area 100 a defined by the first section 90. A slot 114 is formed in the indentation 112. The slot 114 receives a portion of the interacting mechanism 56 in a manner that will be described in more detail below. The first housing section 90 also defines a portion of the first opening 94 a, a portion of the second opening 96 a, a portion of the second internal housing area 102 a and a portion of the product dispensing opening 404 a. Similarly, the second housing section 92 defines a portion of the first opening 94 b, the second opening 96 b, the first internal housing area 100 b, the second internal housing area 102 b, and the product dispensing opening 104 b. When the first housing section 90 attaches to the second housing section 92, the above described openings and housing areas are formed.

A pin 116 is disposed in the second housing section 92 and extends towards the first housing section 90 when the two sections are attached to one another. The pin 116 is received in an opening 118 that is formed in the first housing section 90. If desired, the pin can be located in the first housing section 90 and the opening can be located in the second housing section 92. The spring 80 attaches to the pin 116, which is disposed at a lower end of the first opening 94, such that the spring 80 can bias the key retaining member 54 towards the hollow casing 52.

With continued reference to FIG. 7, the interacting mechanism 56 includes a generally square-shaped user contact area 130 and an extension 132 that extends normally from the user contact area 130. Barbs 134 are located on the extension 132. The barbs 134 are sloped to facilitate insertion of the extension 132 into the vertical slot 114 while inhibiting removal of the interacting mechanism 56 from the casing 52 once the extension 132 has been fully inserted into the vertical slot 114. Accordingly, an end of the barb 134 that is generally parallel with the rear surface (per the orientation of FIG. 7) of the user contact area 130 is spaced from the user contact area such that the interacting mechanism 56 can move freely along the greatest dimension of the vertical slot ′114.

Now referring to FIGS. 8 and 9, the key ring device 50 houses a consumer product, which in this example is a writing utensil A. Examples of writing utensils not only include a pen and a pencil, but also include an eye liner dispenser and a lip stick dispenser. In this example, the engaging mechanism 56 is configured to operate a button B to release the tip of the writing utensil A through the lower opening 104 of the casing 52. In which case, when the engaging mechanism 56 is pushed downwardly towards the narrower section 62 of the casing 52, the writing utensil is released for use. Furthermore, when the engaging mechanism 56 is pressed once again, the consumer product, which again in this example is a writing utensil, is stored inside of the key ring device 50.

In another example, the associated consumer product is a lighter C, as shown in FIGS. 10 and 11. Once again, the engaging mechanism 56 is pushed downwardly towards the narrower section 62 of the hollow casing 52 to operate a button D of the lighter C.

It should be noted that in the two previous examples, it may be desirable for the engaging mechanism to respond differently when pressed. For example, in FIGS. 8 and 9 when the consumer product is a writing utensil A, the engaging mechanism 56 may include and/or cooperate with a click and hold feature which is known in the art and is commonly used in ball point pens. In this example, the engaging mechanism 56 would hold the tip of the writing utensil A in an extended position as in FIG. 8 when pressed once, and when pressed again, the tip would be in a retracted position, in which case the writing utensil would be stored.

With regard to the embodiments depicted in FIGS. 10 and 11, the engaging mechanism 56 may be biased towards the key retaining member 54. If this were the case, when a user releases the engaging mechanism 56, the engaging mechanism would automatically retract upwardly towards the key retaining member 54, thereby extinguishing the flame. In other words, when the engaging mechanism 54 is not pressed downwardly the flame is not ignited. When the engaging mechanism 54 is pressed and held, the flame is ignited only as long as the engaging is held in place.

Moving on to FIGS. 12 and 13, the consumer product shown here is a flashlight. In this instance, when the engaging mechanism 56 is pressed downwardly, the result would be that the consumer product, which in this embodiment includes a light source F, would turn to an “on” or an “off” position. The light source F is in electrical communication with a battery G through a switch H. The switch H selectively opens and closes a circuit that includes battery contacts I and wires J. When the engaging mechanism 56 is pressed downwardly the engaging mechanism contacts a button K to operate the switch H.

Referring now to FIGS. 14 and 15, the consumer product in this example is a fluid dispenser N. Examples of fluids 0 that can be dispensed include, but are not limited to, perfume, cologne, mouth spray, mouth wash, bug spray, hand sanitizer, etc. In this embodiment, the fluid 0 may be under pressure in a fluid chamber PI in which case when the engaging mechanism 56 is pressed downwardly, it contacts a button Q that allows communication between the fluid chamber P and a fluid line R to release the fluid 0. Alternatively, the button Q can operate a small pump to deliver the fluid 0 to the fluid line R.

Referring to FIGS. 8 through 15, it should be appreciated that other suitable consumer products and/or arrangements, can alternately or additionally be used in operative association with the key ring device 50. The key ring device that has been described above can be viewed as an inexpensive integrated consumer product having a key-shaped outer housing, which attaches to a key ring and provides an attractive device that is similarly shaped to the keys that are attached to the key ring, and an inner portion that is a small consumer product. The casing 52 as described herein is suitable to enclose many different types of consumer products that require some sort of activation. Alternatively, other configurations concerning the engaging mechanism 56 may also be used. Moreover, the hollow casing 52 may take other configurations. These other configurations may more closely resemble a conventional key, e.g. the narrower section may be more flattened to more closely simulate the bow of a conventional key. These other configurations may also depart from the configuration associated with a conventional key. As such, if should be understood that modifications may be implemented and still remain with the spirit of the claims.

While considerable emphasis has been placed on structures and structural interrelationships between component parts of the embodiments disclosed, it will be appreciated that other embodiments can be made and that many changes can be made in the embodiments illustrated and described without departing from the principles of the novel concepts of the disclosed embodiment. Modifications and alterations will occur to others upon reading and understanding the preceding detailed description. Accordingly, it is distinctly understood that the foregoing descriptive matter is to be interpreted, merely as illustrative of the novel concepts, and not as a limitation. As such, it is intended that the invention be construed as including all such modifications and alterations insofar as they come within the scope of the appended claims and any equivalents thereof. 

1. A key ring device for holding an associated consumer product, the device comprising: a hollow casing configured to enclose at least a portion of an associated consumer product, said hollow casing having a product holding portion and a latch engaging portion; a movable latch member including a key retaining portion, said key retaining portion configured to cooperate with said hollow casing to selectively hold an associated key ring; a biasing member operatively connected to said hollow casing and said movable latch member; and an interacting mechanism configured to interact with the associated consumer product housed within said product holding portion.
 2. A key ring device according to claim 1 wherein said biasing member has first length and a second length, when said biasing member is at said first length said key retaining portion of said latch is in contact with said hollow casing creating an enclosure in which an associated ring can be securely held, and when said biasing member is at said second length said key retaining portion of said latch is not in direct contact with said hollow casing creating an enclosure.
 3. A key ring device according to claim 1, further comprising: an end member located adjacent to said key retaining portion of said latch; and a notch configured to engage said end member and secure said hollow casing to said key retaining portion of said latch creating an enclosure in which an associated ring can be securely held.
 4. A key ring device according to claim 1 wherein said hollow casing is configured to be axially detachable into at least two sections.
 5. A key ring device according to claim 1 wherein said product holding portion is configured to house an associated lighter.
 6. A key ring device according to claim 1 wherein said product holding portion is configured to house an associated flashlight.
 7. A key ring device according to claim 1 wherein said product holding portion is configured to house an associated spray product.
 8. A key ring device according to claim 1 wherein said product holding portion is configured to house an associated writing product.
 9. A key ring device according to claim 1 wherein said product holding portion of said hollow casing is further includes a slit configured to slidably receive said interacting mechanism.
 10. A key ring device according to claim 9 wherein said interacting mechanism is configure to release the associated product when pressed laterally towards said product dispensing portion of said hollow casing.
 11. A key ring device according to claim 9 wherein said product holding portion includes an indention configured to receive said interacting mechanism and said slit.
 12. A key ring device according to claim 1 wherein said biasing member is a spring.
 13. A device for holding a small consumer product comprising: a casing having a at least three portions, a product holding area, a latch holding area, and a product dispensing area; a latch having a first end and a second end, said latch received in said latch holding area of casing at said first end; a biasing member having two lengths interconnecting said first end of said latch and said casing, where when said biasing member is at said first length said latch engages said casing at only said first end, and when biasing member is at said second length said latch is engages said casing at said first and said second end; and a button slidably received in said product holding area of said casing configured to release a consumer product through said product dispensing area when pressed.
 14. A device according to claim 12 wherein said consumer product contained within said product holding area of said casing.
 15. A device according to claim 12 wherein said consumer product is a flashlight.
 16. A device according to claim 12 wherein said consumer product is a lighter.
 17. A device according to claim 12 wherein said consumer product is a writing utensil.
 18. A device according to claim 12 wherein said consumer product is a cosmetic product.
 19. A device according to claim 12 wherein said biasing member is a spring.
 20. A key ring device for holding an associated consumer product, the device comprising: a hollow casing configured to enclose at least a portion of an associated consumer product; a movable latch member including a key retaining portion, said key retaining portion configured to cooperate with said hollow casing to selectively hold an associated key ring or an associated key; and an interacting mechanism configured to interact with the associated consumer product disposed within said hollow casing. 